Starting with the history of the United States that will carry through the 21stCentury
Establishment of the 13 States The 13 states were officially established by the Articles of Confederation, ratified on March 1, 1781. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states operating alongside a weak central government. Unlike the current power-sharing system of “ federalism ,” the Articles of Confederation bestowed most governmental powers to the states. The need for a stronger national government soon became apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 . The United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789. The original 13 states recognized by the Articles of Confederation were (in chronological order): Delaware (ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787) Pennsylvania (ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787) New Jersey (ratified the Constitution on December 18, 1787) Georgia (ratified the Constitution on January 2, 1788) Connecticut (ratified the Constitution on January 9, 178...